Arsenal Invincible Freddie Ljungberg was left far from impressed with Gabriel Magalhaes after his side’s 5-1 victory over Sporting CP.
The defender was a crucial player for the Gunners in Lisbon, given the tough task of ushering Viktor Gyokeres on the night.
Gabriel did that well, reducing the Swedish forward’s threat for the evening after a build-up that included plenty of talk surrounding him.
Gyokeres has been linked with an Arsenal transfer, given his impressive scoring record in Portugal, but he came up blunt against the Gunners.
It wasn’t the forward who scored, but rather his defensive counterpart who found the back of the net with a towering header for Arsenal.
Shortly after, Gabriel did the Gyokeres goal celebration, something that no doubt frustrated plenty of people – including the striker.
Freddie Ljungberg slams Gabriel Magalhaes for Viktor Gyokeres celebration
While Gyokeres discussed Gabriel’s celebration, with a small hint of frustration, there was no holding back from Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg.
The Invincible star discussed the celebration, slamming the defender for deciding to do so during the match.
Speaking on Viaplay, he said: “I’m not a fan of it. Of course, he [Gabriel] must have had a lot of talk about playing against Gyokeres and whether he would be able to do it.
“Then his point in showing that he can handle it is quite simple. But I think it’s a bit disrespectful. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
“I think someone else has that target gesture, leave it alone. I don’t like to see it.”
It’s a clear point of contention, though it was noted that Sporting players copied Granit Xhaka’s celebration when the teams faced off a few years ago.
Whether it was disrespectful or not is up for debate, though the implications on any potential transfer is still unknown.
- READ MORE: Portugal’s media deliver interesting verdict on Declan Rice after Arsenal thrash Sporting CP
Has Gabriel Magalhaes ruined a Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal transfer?
After the shenanigans of Tuesday night, there’s a question over whether Gabriel has now potentially ruined Gyokeres’ move to Arsenal.
There may be some unrest caused by the celebration, though the hierarchy shouldn’t be too concerned by it.
If the striker has ambitions of reaching the top, then a small bit of bantering shouldn’t stop a deal going through.
It remains to be seen how the transfer saga pans out, but the talk certainly won’t be going away heading into the January transfer window.
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